Structural materials are essential for engineering innovations and the current challenges can be addressed by in-depth studies of structure-property relations.
We focus on cement-based composite materials, known under a generic name of ‘concrete’. The area of our research is materials science of concrete*) and the tools include correlation descriptors of fundamental constituent chemistry-microstructure-materials performance. At the cross-roads of materials science and civil engineering, fascinating insights are gained.
We aim to discover new materials of engineered properties, to develop new methods for microstructure and properties characterization so as to use them for studying the durability of materials under aggressive environmental conditions, including chemical and thermal exposure as well as ionizing radiation exposure. Cement-based engineered materials and interfaces are of heterogeneous nature, which directly affects their macroscopic physical properties and chemical resistance. Using our experimental and numerical tools, we are able to control the development of microstructure and analyze how it improves macro-scale behavior, to find an optimal material solution for designed long-term performance.
As an engineering group, we aim at bridging fundamental research with applied problems. Therefore we are ready to propose materials solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of construction materials, to enhance the durability of major highways and bridges or biological shielding structures, to support the emerging digital manufacturing technologies. Our partners include the construction companies, materials producers and governmental institutions.
We are open for scientific cooperation!
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*) Materials science of concrete is not a formal term, but was spread at the end of XX century by Jan Skalny and Sidney Mindess for a basic approach to advance understanding of microstructure-properties correlations. ‘Materials science of concrete’ was the title of book series published by Willey with an objective to highlight the limits of knowledge of such complicated physicochemical system as well as to bridge the gap between research and the practical material applications. At the same time a series of international conferences on 'Brittle Matrix Composites' was started by Andrzej M. Brandt at IPPT PAN and shaped a generation of researchers keen on gaining understanding of brittleness phenomena associated with cement-based matrices. The beginning of XXI century was marked by a multi-authored monograph by IPPT PAN on concrete diagnosis by structural analysis that was co-edited by Janusz Kasperkiewicz. It laid the path for methodology of quantitative description of microstructure of cement-based materials. We still draw inspiration from works of these authorities in the field of construction materials.
